Description

Total War: Shogun 2 - Fall of the Samurai is an add-on sized successor to Total War: Shogun 2. It is set 250 years after the predecessor and discusses the civil war of 1868: Japan's strict isolation ended due to force from outside and the war parties are traditionalist clans and clans which open up and use modern weaponry. The game itself spans between 1864 and 1876, and the player takes the role of one of those eight clans.

As the title suggests, the engine and gameplay mechanics are completely based on Shogun 2. However, of course there are various changes because of the different time period. Besides the expected new units, the considerations needed during the strategy part considerably change, especially when playing a clan which opens up to the imperial mights. Then, over time, new weaponry gets introduced and the province development has to be adjusted. Also new special units from USA, England or France can be hired which give certain bonuses.
However, the traditionalist people and especially the Samurai won't like this - in order to avoid a riot, the player needs to take counter measures: either repress them or satisfy them by using some traditionalist buildings instead of their modern counterparts. Other effects are more important sea battles and changes in logistics (towards the end of the campaign, the player can use trains).

One significant change in the real-time battles is a newly introduced action component: the player can take control over a gatling gun/ship and blast away in a first-person perspective. While this is potentially powerful, it is necessary to find the correct angle first. And obviously the rest of the troops have to operate without the player's supervision during this time.